Daily Comment on News and Issues of Interest to Michigan Lawyers

03/11/2013

England's "Marital Coercion" Defense Under Duress

If you are a fan of British legal history and politics, you won't want to miss this fascinating intersection of modern English liberal politics and a patriarchal law that may well be repealed as a result of the notoriety of this case. As reported by the Guardian:

The defence of marital coercion is a relic of a bygone age. Vicky Pryce unsuccessfully argued that it absolved her from criminal liability
for lying about driving her then husband's car when it was caught
speeding. Many observers thought this was an extraordinary defence for
any woman, let alone a former joint head of the government economic
service. But a defendant is entitled to take the law as he or she finds
it, and there was always a chance that the jury might have shown
sympathy for a woman deserted by her husband.

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England's "Marital Coercion" Defense Under Duress

If you are a fan of British legal history and politics, you won't want to miss this fascinating intersection of modern English liberal politics and a patriarchal law that may well be repealed as a result of the notoriety of this case. As reported by the Guardian:

The defence of marital coercion is a relic of a bygone age. Vicky Pryce unsuccessfully argued that it absolved her from criminal liability
for lying about driving her then husband's car when it was caught
speeding. Many observers thought this was an extraordinary defence for
any woman, let alone a former joint head of the government economic
service. But a defendant is entitled to take the law as he or she finds
it, and there was always a chance that the jury might have shown
sympathy for a woman deserted by her husband.